Fitness Update: Running

There have been a lot of changes in my life the past couple of weeks: I started attending yoga classes with my stepmom, which has been awesome! People have been leaving our office at work, I’m getting ready for classes to start back up, roommates are coming and going and switching rooms…there’s just been so much happening!

So with all the new changes and things that are probably going to cause me some stress this semester I decided to start running. I have a really great friend who has been running track for years who is teaching me a ton of stuff about running. He’s been getting me on a schedule this week, teaching me how to breathe properly, and how to maintain proper form.

This has not been easy in the least! The first day he had me out at the track just to see what my endurance level is; testing how much I can handle. I’m pretty sure I punched him several times because I felt he was pushing me too hard, but I’m thankful that he did. The next day he took me to a place up the road where there are hills. I hated him, myself, and the rest of the world on this day. The hills were terrible; I was out of breathe, struggling to keep my form, and exhausted. I wanted to cry, and honestly I did shed a tear or two.

The third day was much better. We did a warm up lap, stretched, and then I was told to complete a mile on the track on my own. I was able to complete 3 laps before my body started screaming for water, so I grabbed my water bottle, took a few sips while still continuing to move, and then I was off again.

Today we’re going to find a dirt or grass trail because the concrete is hurting my feet. I’m happy to say that I’m super excited about this and am really hoping that with my friends training and encouragement I’ll be able to make this a lifelong habit! And I’ll still be attending yoga during the week to help stretch out my body and do something that doesn’t cause so much wear and tear!

Fitness Update: Hiking!

I honestly slacked off on working out for a little while there, between homework and work and family coming into town for a weekend, I was exhausted. BUT on Monday I got to take off work to go to Six Flags with an old friend, which meant a TON of walking! It was great! And even better: I stayed away from carbonated drinks and junk food! I felt very accomplished. I came home exhausted with sore feet but it was worth it!

Yesterday, I decided to take off work an hour early (mostly because I was overwhelmed, on the edge of tears, and stressed out beyond belief) and spend some time outside. We have this church down the road from us that owns a lot of land on a hilly region of Dallas. They have hiking and biking trails for miles and miles. I called up one of my friends and asked him to come up there with me so I wouldn’t be wandering around the woods by myself.

We got some water bottles and set off on the longest trail they have: a 7 mile loop up and down tons of hills, over creeks, and through gorgeous fields. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures, mostly because I wanted to stay away from my phone for a while and enjoy being outside.

We finally finished our hike after 2 hours and 20 minutes. We were beat, but it was worth it, and I was able to come home a little more refreshed and relaxed so I could focus on getting more homework done.

Britt’s Workout Update!

I mentioned in my last post about waking up and going for a walk last week. Well, that was a success! Something that I used to always try to do was wake up obnoxiously early and go running. This never worked, normally because my body wasn’t in shape, or I would be super tired at 6am, and I would end up discouraged and not work out again for a month. It was an exhausting cycle and I had to realize that I was trying to do things that were too difficult for my fitness level.

But walking, that’s easy! Because I walk everywhere already, so why not put on proper shoes, headphones, and walk at a faster pace?! Great workout! Needless to say, I was up this morning and walking again. And it was awesome!

This weekend I also invested in a medicine ball to help motivate me to workout when I’m at home and have nothing to do. It’s also incredibly fun to play with and you almost don’t realize that you’re getting a workout! It makes it a little easier to to fit small toning workouts in throughout the day instead of trying to block off an hour of my time to go to the gym where there will be sweaty guys grunting and being manly. I also don’t have to worry about looking silly or worry about anybody looking up my shorts when I’m in the comfort of my own home.